News – Mad Cow makes US Meat Industry Cry (1/2)

US

The US is having it’s own Mad Cow woes now. Some are dropping import of US beef fast(And here too) and I’m sure that the big heads in charge are scrambling to get this cleared up. The disease itself continues to baffle scientists.

The Big Christmas Terror Scare. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘enhanced chatter’ about attacks was no more than a ruse to make us waste more money on higher security. Make the government cry wolf enough times and the real attack five years down the line will blindside everyone again.

Lee Malvo, 18, has been sentenced to life in prison. Yup, I know he shot people, but its still pretty screwed up to have a kid going to jail for life just after he reaches maturity. Conflict rears it’s ugly head again when one thinks about it.

A report says foreign airlines should be checked for security risks they might pose. And what will happen if they find an airport in another nation isn’t that secure? Will they offer suggestions to secure it or disallow it access to US airports?

Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska is now open to loggers. Kiss the 300,000 acres of dense, old-growth rain forest good bye.

Rush fails to keep his medical records out of the hands of prosecutors. Though they can’t disclose the info to anyone else. He’s still got legal flack hitting him from his drug abuse. I find it funny that people can still respect this man, a hypocrite who has talked down heavily about drug users before.

“Liberal special interests, led by billionaire currency trader George Soros, are raising millions in soft, unregulated money to defeat President Bush,” the Bush campaign says in an Internet posting. – George Soros, the Hungarian-born financier, has pledged $12.5 million to ensure “we can write off the Bush doctrine as a temporary aberration,”

Everyone wants in. 😉

Democrats are courting disgruntled Muslim voters. Could be useful, but I’m sure it will garner those who seek these voters overtly to have more unsavory names tossed at them by the more zealous of the right wing.

Be careful when you get vaccinated. Some are pushing unlicensed flu vaccinations.

Wesley Clark, the Open Source candidate? The software for his campaign will be anyway. Better tools for backers to abuse.

Researchers at the University of California are working with government counterterrorism agencies to make a full scale bomb blast simulator. What’s this for? Well, if building designs can be tested against the simulation of a truck bomb explosion, stronger, bomb resistant designs can be unearthed. This is what we should be spending most of our dollars on. Preparation and securing our turf.

More musing of evidence that Rep. Smith was bribed.

Iraq

Bombardment over Baghdad and a deadly roadside bomb attack. One wonders if it will ever end. Slowing is nice, but ending is better.

New theory on WMD currently being considered by British officials. Saddam and his top guys were tricked into thinking they did have WMD by low rankers. Somewhat plausible, but unlikely in my opinion. US officials are thinking the same way for once.

Dispatches from Iraq. The US Army goes to High School. This just shows how stupidly some are acting in Iraq.

How Briton’s £7 bus ticket to Baghdad turned dream pilgrimage into nightmare. If you take a trip to Iraq while the US military is in charge, make sure you have a believable story as to why you’re there or you’ll be in big trouble for being suspicious.

Don’t complain about gas prices. At least you don’t have to wait in line.

Israel/Palestine

Palestinians drop peace meeting over the latest Rafah raid. I don’t see what harm it would be for Israel to focus it’s security within it’s borders for the time it takes to do peace moves. That would be a huge PR boost with Palestinians in general.

Chinese workers in Israel must sign papers that say they will not have sexual contact with or marry any Israeli women. They may not engage in any political or religious activity either. I don’t know, it seems to me that Israel is getting a bit xenophobic. Am I wrong in perceiving that?

Afghanistan

Hamid Karzai continues to press for a strong president in Afghanistan, while some in the Grand Assembly resist his push. Question is, what constitutes a strong president? And when is he too strong?